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Cheng LSK, Chau SKY, Chan WS, Chen JHK, Wong BKC, Fung KSC. An outbreak of Burkholderia cepacia complex exit site infection among peritoneal dialysis patients caused by contaminated spray dressing. Infect Prev Pract 2024; 6:100359. [PMID: 38559368 PMCID: PMC10981104 DOI: 10.1016/j.infpip.2024.100359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Wound dressing is intended to provide a physical barrier from microorganisms. Spray dressing is convenient and can be applied to wounds of various contours. In July 2020, a cluster of four Burkholderia cepacia complex (BCC) exit site infections was identified among peritoneal dialysis patients in a regional hospital in Hong Kong. In response, our hospital infection control team conducted an epidemiologic investigation. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of peritoneal dialysis patients with culture-confirmed BCC exit site infections from January 2011 to July 2020. Outbreak investigations, including case finding, molecular typing and post-outbreak surveillance, were performed. Discussion A substantial increase in BCC exit site infections has been observed since 2013, rising from 0.23 in 2012 to 1.09 episodes per 100 patient-year in 2015, with the number of cases in the first half of 2020 already surpassing the total from 2019. The potential source had been traced to a spray dressing introduced to exit site care in December 2012. Burkholderia cepacia complex was isolated from both the unopened and in-use sprays from the same lot. Multilocus sequence typing analysis confirmed their genetic relatedness. The spray dressing was subsequently removed from exit site care. Post-outbreak surveillance over two years showed a marked and sustained decrease in BCC exit site infection. Conclusion Water-based spray dressing can be a source of BCC causing wound infections. The use of contaminated spray dressing, especially in chronic wounds with proximity to indwelling catheters, may pose an inherent risk to patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lily Shui-Kuen Cheng
- Department of Pathology, United Christian Hospital, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Sandy Ka-Yee Chau
- Department of Pathology, United Christian Hospital, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Wai-Shan Chan
- Infection Control Team, United Christian Hospital, Kowloon East Cluster, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Jonathan Hon-Kwan Chen
- Department of Microbiology, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Barry Kin-Chung Wong
- Department of Pathology, United Christian Hospital, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Kitty Sau-Chun Fung
- Department of Pathology, United Christian Hospital, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
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Morón Á, Tarhouchi AE, Belinchón I, Valenzuela JM, de Francisco P, Martín-González A, Amaro F. Protozoan predation enhances stress resistance and antibiotic tolerance in Burkholderia cenocepacia by triggering the SOS response. THE ISME JOURNAL 2024; 18:wrae014. [PMID: 38366016 PMCID: PMC10944698 DOI: 10.1093/ismejo/wrae014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
Bacterivorous protists are thought to serve as training grounds for bacterial pathogens by subjecting them to the same hostile conditions that they will encounter in the human host. Bacteria that survive intracellular digestion exhibit enhanced virulence and stress resistance after successful passage through protozoa but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Here we show that the opportunistic pathogen Burkholderia cenocepacia survives phagocytosis by ciliates found in domestic and hospital sink drains, and viable bacteria are expelled packaged in respirable membrane vesicles with enhanced resistance to oxidative stress, desiccation, and antibiotics, thereby contributing to pathogen dissemination in the environment. Reactive oxygen species generated within the protozoan phagosome promote the formation of persisters tolerant to ciprofloxacin by activating the bacterial SOS response. In addition, we show that genes encoding antioxidant enzymes are upregulated during passage through ciliates increasing bacterial resistance to oxidative radicals. We prove that suppression of the SOS response impairs bacterial intracellular survival and persister formation within protists. This study highlights the significance of protozoan food vacuoles as niches that foster bacterial adaptation in natural and built environments and suggests that persister switch within phagosomes may be a widespread phenomenon in bacteria surviving intracellular digestion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Álvaro Morón
- Department of Genetics, Physiology and Microbiology. Faculty of Biological Sciences, Complutense University of MadridMadrid 28040, Spain
| | - Alaa E Tarhouchi
- Department of Genetics, Physiology and Microbiology. Faculty of Biological Sciences, Complutense University of MadridMadrid 28040, Spain
| | - Iván Belinchón
- Department of Genetics, Physiology and Microbiology. Faculty of Biological Sciences, Complutense University of MadridMadrid 28040, Spain
| | - Juan M Valenzuela
- Department of Genetics, Physiology and Microbiology. Faculty of Biological Sciences, Complutense University of MadridMadrid 28040, Spain
| | - Patricia de Francisco
- Department of Genetics, Physiology and Microbiology. Faculty of Biological Sciences, Complutense University of MadridMadrid 28040, Spain
| | - Ana Martín-González
- Department of Genetics, Physiology and Microbiology. Faculty of Biological Sciences, Complutense University of MadridMadrid 28040, Spain
| | - Francisco Amaro
- Department of Genetics, Physiology and Microbiology. Faculty of Biological Sciences, Complutense University of MadridMadrid 28040, Spain
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3
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Charron P, Gao R, Chmara J, Hoover E, Nadin-Davis S, Chauvin D, Hazelwood J, Makondo K, Duceppe MO, Kang M. Influence of genomic variations on glanders serodiagnostic antigens using integrative genomic and transcriptomic approaches. Front Vet Sci 2023; 10:1217135. [PMID: 38125681 PMCID: PMC10730941 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1217135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Glanders is a highly contagious and life-threatening zoonotic disease caused by Burkholderia mallei (B. mallei). Without an effective vaccine or treatment, early diagnosis has been regarded as the most effective method to prevent glanders transmission. Currently, the diagnosis of glanders is heavily reliant on serological tests. However, given that markedly different host immune responses can be elicited by genetically different strains of the same bacterial species, infection by B. mallei, whose genome is unstable and plastic, may result in various immune responses. This variability can make the serodiagnosis of glanders challenging. Therefore, there is a need for a comprehensive understanding and assessment of how B. mallei genomic variations impact the appropriateness of specific target antigens for glanders serodiagnosis. In this study, we investigated how genomic variations in the B. mallei genome affect gene content (gene presence/absence) and expression, with a special focus on antigens used or potentially used in serodiagnosis. In all the genome sequences of B. mallei isolates available in NCBI's RefSeq database (accessed in July 2023) and in-house sequenced samples, extensive small and large variations were observed when compared to the type strain ATCC 23344. Further pan-genome analysis of those assemblies revealed variations of gene content among all available genomes of B. mallei. Specifically, differences in gene content ranging from 31 to 715 genes with an average of 334 gene presence-absence variations were found in strains with complete or chromosome-level genome assemblies, using the ATCC 23344 strain as a reference. The affected genes included some encoded proteins used as serodiagnostic antigens, which were lost due mainly to structural variations. Additionally, a transcriptomic analysis was performed using the type strain ATCC 23344 and strain Zagreb which has been widely utilized to produce glanders antigens. In total, 388 significant differentially expressed genes were identified between these two strains, including genes related to bacterial pathogenesis and virulence, some of which were associated with genomic variations, particularly structural variations. To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive study to uncover the impacts of genetic variations of B. mallei on its gene content and expression. These differences would have significant impacts on host innate and adaptive immunity, including antibody production, during infection. This study provides novel insights into B. mallei genetic variants, knowledge which will help to improve glanders serodiagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Mingsong Kang
- Ottawa Laboratory-Fallowfield, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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4
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Pita T, Feliciano JR, Leitão JH. Identification of Burkholderia cenocepacia non-coding RNAs expressed during Caenorhabditis elegans infection. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2023; 107:3653-3671. [PMID: 37097504 PMCID: PMC10175445 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-023-12530-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
Small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) are key regulators of post-transcriptional gene expression in bacteria. Despite the identification of hundreds of bacterial sRNAs, their roles on bacterial physiology and virulence remain largely unknown, as is the case of bacteria of the Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc). Bcc is a group of opportunistic pathogens with relatively large genomes that can cause lethal lung infections amongst cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. To characterise sRNAs expressed by Bcc bacteria when infecting a host, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans was used as an infection model by the epidemic CF strain B. cenocepacia J2315. A total of 108 new and 31 previously described sRNAs with a predicted Rho independent terminator were identified, most of them located on chromosome 1. RIT11b, a sRNA downregulated under C. elegans infection conditions, was shown to directly affect B. cenocepacia virulence, biofilm formation, and swimming motility. RIT11b overexpression reduced the expression of the direct targets dusA and pyrC, involved in biofilm formation, epithelial cell adherence, and chronic infections in other organisms. The in vitro direct interaction of RIT11b with the dusA and pyrC messengers was demonstrated by electrophoretic mobility shift assays. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report on the functional characterization of a sRNA directly involved in B. cenocepacia virulence. KEY POINTS: • 139 sRNAs expressed by B. cenocepacia during C. elegans infection were identified • The sRNA RIT11b affects B. cenocepacia virulence, biofilm formation, and motility • RIT11b directly binds to and regulates dusA and pyrC mRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiago Pita
- Department of Bioengineering, iBB-Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, and Associate Laboratory i4HB-Institute for Health and Bioeconomy at Instituto Superior Técnico, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Joana R Feliciano
- Department of Bioengineering, iBB-Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, and Associate Laboratory i4HB-Institute for Health and Bioeconomy at Instituto Superior Técnico, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001, Lisbon, Portugal.
| | - Jorge H Leitão
- Department of Bioengineering, iBB-Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, and Associate Laboratory i4HB-Institute for Health and Bioeconomy at Instituto Superior Técnico, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001, Lisbon, Portugal.
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Jungkhun N, Gomes de Farias AR, Watcharachaiyakup J, Kositcharoenkul N, Ham JH, Patarapuwadol S. Phylogenetic Characterization and Genome Sequence Analysis of Burkholderia glumae Strains Isolated in Thailand as the Causal Agent of Rice Bacterial Panicle Blight. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11060676. [PMID: 35745530 PMCID: PMC9228322 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11060676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Burkholderia glumae is one of the most critical rice-pathogenic bacteria, and it causes bacterial panicle blight (BPB) in rice plants. In 2017, BPB symptoms were observed from rice fields in Chiang Rai, Northern Thailand. Sixty-one isolates obtained from the symptomatic panicles of rice were initially identified as B. glumae by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using species-specific primers. Among them, six selected strains isolated from the susceptible japonica rice cultivar DOA2 were characterized in terms of morpho-physiology, pathology, phylogenetics, and genomics. Our genome sequence analysis of the six selected strains revealed the presence of multiple prophages, which may reflect the high level of diversity in this bacterial species through dynamic horizontal gene transfer processes, including phage infection. This notion was supported by the results of phylogenetic and phylogenomic analyses, which showed the formation of several subgroups not related to the years of isolation or the geographical origins. This study reports the isolation of B. glumae as the causal pathogen of BPB disease in japonica rice in Thailand and provides genomic resources to better understand the biology and diversity of this plant pathogenic bacterium. Further studies with a vast collection of B. glumae strains from various rice-growing regions around the world are needed to elucidate the evolution, variability, and lifestyle of the pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nootjarin Jungkhun
- Department of Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture at Kamphaeng Saen, Kasetsart University Kamphaeng Saen Campus, Nakhon Pathom 73140, Thailand;
- Rice Department, Chiang Rai Rice Research Center, Phan, Chiang Rai 57120, Thailand
| | | | - Jutatape Watcharachaiyakup
- Center for Agricultural Biotechnology, Kasetsart University Kamphaeng Saen Campus, Nakhon Pathom 73140, Thailand;
- Center of Excellence on Agricultural Biotechnology: (AG-BIO/MHESI), Bangkok 10900, Thailand
| | - Nuttima Kositcharoenkul
- Department of Agriculture, Plant Pathology Research Group, Plant Protection Research and Development Office, Bangkok 10900, Thailand;
| | - Jong Hyun Ham
- Department of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA;
| | - Sujin Patarapuwadol
- Department of Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture at Kamphaeng Saen, Kasetsart University Kamphaeng Saen Campus, Nakhon Pathom 73140, Thailand;
- Center for Agricultural Biotechnology, Kasetsart University Kamphaeng Saen Campus, Nakhon Pathom 73140, Thailand;
- Correspondence:
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Lood C, Peeters C, Lamy-Besnier Q, Wagemans J, De Vos D, Proesmans M, Pirnay JP, Echahidi F, Piérard D, Thimmesch M, Boeras A, Lagrou K, De Canck E, De Wachter E, van Noort V, Lavigne R, Vandamme P. Genomics of an endemic cystic fibrosis Burkholderia multivorans strain reveals low within-patient evolution but high between-patient diversity. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009418. [PMID: 33720991 PMCID: PMC7993779 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Burkholderia multivorans is a member of the Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc), notorious for its pathogenicity in persons with cystic fibrosis. Epidemiological surveillance suggests that patients predominantly acquire B. multivorans from environmental sources, with rare cases of patient-to-patient transmission. Here we report on the genomic analysis of thirteen isolates from an endemic B. multivorans strain infecting four cystic fibrosis patients treated in different pediatric cystic fibrosis centers in Belgium, with no evidence of cross-infection. All isolates share an identical sequence type (ST-742) but whole genome analysis shows that they exhibit peculiar patterns of genomic diversity between patients. By combining short and long reads sequencing technologies, we highlight key differences in terms of small nucleotide polymorphisms indicative of low rates of adaptive evolution within patient, and well-defined, hundred kbps-long segments of high enrichment in mutations between patients. In addition, we observed large structural genomic variations amongst the isolates which revealed different plasmid contents, active roles for transposase IS3 and IS5 in the deactivation of genes, and mobile prophage elements. Our study shows limited within-patient B. multivorans evolution and high between-patient strain diversity, indicating that an environmental microdiverse reservoir must be present for this endemic strain, in which active diversification is taking place. Furthermore, our analysis also reveals a set of 30 parallel adaptations across multiple patients, indicating that the specific genomic background of a given strain may dictate the route of adaptation within the cystic fibrosis lung.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cédric Lood
- Department of Biosystems, Laboratory of Gene Technology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems, Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, Laboratory of Computational Systems Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Charlotte Peeters
- Belgian National Reference Centre for Burkholderia, Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Quentin Lamy-Besnier
- Department of Biosystems, Laboratory of Gene Technology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jeroen Wagemans
- Department of Biosystems, Laboratory of Gene Technology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Daniel De Vos
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology (LabMCT), Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Marijke Proesmans
- Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Leuven, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jean-Paul Pirnay
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology (LabMCT), Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Fedoua Echahidi
- Belgian National Reference Centre for Burkholderia, Department of Microbiology, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Denis Piérard
- Belgian National Reference Centre for Burkholderia, Department of Microbiology, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
| | | | - Anca Boeras
- Department of Microbiology, CHC MontLégia, Liège, Belgique
| | - Katrien Lagrou
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Clinical department of Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Evelien De Canck
- Belgian National Reference Centre for Burkholderia, Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Elke De Wachter
- Department of Pediatric Pulmonology, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Vera van Noort
- Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems, Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, Laboratory of Computational Systems Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Rob Lavigne
- Department of Biosystems, Laboratory of Gene Technology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- * E-mail: (RL); (PV)
| | - Peter Vandamme
- Belgian National Reference Centre for Burkholderia, Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- * E-mail: (RL); (PV)
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